Outcomes of intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Peritoneal metastasis is common in gastric cancer and linked to poor survival. Treatment of peritoneal metastasis with intraperitoneal chemotherapy has become an accepted practice in some centres. This systematic review and meta-analysis intends to provide a comprehensive evaluation of published evidence for the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy is gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis.

The dynamics of biofouled particles in vortical flows.

When using mathematical models to predict the pathways of biofouled microplastic in the ocean, it is necessary to parametrise the impact of turbulence on their motions. In this paper, statistics on particle motion have been computed from simulations of small, spherical particles with time-dependent mass in cellular flow fields. The cellular flows are a prototype for Langmuir circulation and flows dominated by vortical motion.

Inference for epidemic models with time-varying infection rates: Tracking the dynamics of oak processionary moth in the UK.

Invasive pests pose a great threat to forest, woodland, and urban tree ecosystems. The oak processionary moth (OPM) is a destructive pest of oak trees, first reported in the UK in 2006. Despite great efforts to contain the outbreak within the original infested area of South-East England, OPM continues to spread.

OCT4 expression in human embryonic stem cells: spatio-temporal dynamics and fate transitions.

The improved in vitro regulation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) pluripotency and differentiation trajectories is required for their promising clinical applications. The temporal and spatial quantification of the molecular interactions controlling pluripotency is also necessary for the development of successful mathematical and computational models. Here we use time-lapse experimental data of OCT4-mCherry fluorescence intensity to quantify the temporal and spatial dynamics of the pluripotency transcription factor OCT4 in a growing hESC colony in the presence and absence of BMP4.

Quantification of the morphological characteristics of hESC colonies.

The maintenance of the undifferentiated state in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is critical for further application in regenerative medicine, drug testing and studies of fundamental biology. Currently, the selection of the best quality cells and colonies for propagation is typically performed by eye, in terms of the displayed morphological features, such as prominent/abundant nucleoli and a colony with a tightly packed appearance and a well-defined edge. Using image analysis and computational tools, we precisely quantify these properties using phase-contrast images of hESC colonies of different sizes (0.

Knot spectrum of turbulence.

Streamlines, vortex lines and magnetic flux tubes in turbulent fluids and plasmas display a great amount of coiling, twisting and linking, raising the question as to whether their topological complexity (continually created and destroyed by reconnections) can be quantified. In superfluid helium, the discrete (quantized) nature of vorticity can be exploited to associate to each vortex loop a knot invariant called the Alexander polynomial whose degree characterizes the topology of that vortex loop. By numerically simulating the dynamics of a tangle of quantum vortex lines, we find that this quantum turbulence always contains vortex knots of very large degree which keep forming, vanishing and reforming, creating a distribution of topologies which we quantify in terms of a knot spectrum and its scaling law.

Crossover from interaction to driven regimes in quantum vortex reconnections.

Reconnections of coherent filamentary structures play a key role in the dynamics of fluids, redistributing energy and helicity among the length scales, triggering dissipative effects, and inducing fine-scale mixing. Unlike ordinary (classical) fluids where vorticity is a continuous field, in superfluid helium and in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) vorticity takes the form of isolated quantized vortex lines, which are conceptually easier to study. New experimental techniques now allow visualization of individual vortex reconnections in helium and condensates.

Quantum Ferrofluid Turbulence.

We study the elementary characteristics of turbulence in a quantum ferrofluid through the context of a dipolar Bose gas condensing from a highly nonequilibrium thermal state. Our simulations reveal that the dipolar interactions drive the emergence of polarized turbulence and density corrugations. The superfluid vortex lines and density fluctuations adopt a columnar or stratified configuration, depending on the sign of the dipolar interactions, with the vortices tending to form in the low-density regions to minimize kinetic energy.

Late life revision surgery for dilated colonic conduit in long gap oesophageal atresia.

Long gap oesophageal atresia presents a surgical challenge as there is insufficient length of the oesophagus to restore continuity. Oesophageal replacement is generally achieved using a conduit, taken from the stomach, jejunum or colon. Preferences of approach vary between and within surgical centres.

Variability in the prescribing of intravenous fluids: A cross sectional multicentre analysis of clinical practice.

Aims: Intravenous (IV) fluid administration continues to be a mainstay of care in General Surgery. Yet if they are prescribed incorrectly significant morbidity including electrolyte abnormalities, renal impairment and cardiac failure can develop. Despite this, it is frequently the responsibility of the most junior staff to prescribe IV fluids.

Current margin practice and effect on re-excision rates following the publication of the SSO-ASTRO consensus and ABS consensus guidelines: a national prospective study of 2858 women undergoing breast-conserving therapy in the UK and Ireland.

Introduction: There is variation in margin policy for breast conserving therapy (BCT) in the UK and Ireland. In response to the Society of Surgical Oncology and American Society for Radiation Oncology (SSO-ASTRO) margin consensus ('no ink on tumour' for invasive and 2 mm for ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]) and the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS) consensus (1 mm for invasive and DCIS), we report on current margin practice and unit infrastructure in the UK and Ireland and describe how these factors impact on re-excision rates.

Methods: A trainee collaborative-led multicentre prospective study was conducted in the UK and Ireland between 1st February and 31st May 2016.

Regimes of turbulence without an energy cascade.

Experiments and numerical simulations of turbulent He and He-B have established that, at hydrodynamic length scales larger than the average distance between quantum vortices, the energy spectrum obeys the same 5/3 Kolmogorov law which is observed in the homogeneous isotropic turbulence of ordinary fluids. The importance of the 5/3 law is that it points to the existence of a Richardson energy cascade from large eddies to small eddies. However, there is also evidence of quantum turbulent regimes without Kolmogorov scaling.

Stability of model flocks in a vortical flow.

We investigate the stability of self-propelled particle flocks in the Taylor-Green vortex, a steady vortical flow. We consider a model in which particles align themselves to a combination of the orientation and the acceleration of particles within a critical radius. We identify two distinct regimes: If alignment with orientation is dominant, the particles tend to be expelled from regions of high vorticity.

Visualizing Pure Quantum Turbulence in Superfluid 3He: Andreev Reflection and its Spectral Properties.

Superfluid 3He-B in the zero-temperature limit offers a unique means of studying quantum turbulence by the Andreev reflection of quasiparticle excitations by the vortex flow fields. We validate the experimental visualization of turbulence in 3He-B by showing the relation between the vortex-line density and the Andreev reflectance of the vortex tangle in the first simulations of the Andreev reflectance by a realistic 3D vortex tangle, and comparing the results with the first experimental measurements able to probe quantum turbulence on length scales smaller than the intervortex separation.

Model flocks in a steady vortical flow.

We modify the standard Vicsek model to clearly distinguish between intrinsic noise due to imperfect alignment between organisms and extrinsic noise due to fluid motion. We then consider the effect of a steady vortical flow, the Taylor-Green vortex, on the dynamics of the flock, for various flow speeds, with a fixed intrinsic particle speed. We pay particular attention to the morphology of the flow, and quantify its filamentarity.

Acceleration statistics in thermally driven superfluid turbulence.

New methods of flow visualization near absolute zero have opened the way to directly compare quantum turbulence (in superfluid helium) to classical turbulence (in ordinary fluids such as air or water) and explore analogies and differences. We present results of numerical simulations in which we examine the statistics of the superfluid acceleration in thermal counterflow. We find that, unlike the velocity, the acceleration obeys scaling laws similar to classical turbulence, in agreement with a recent quantum turbulence experiment of La Mantia et al.

Vortex filament method as a tool for computational visualization of quantum turbulence.

The vortex filament model has become a standard and powerful tool to visualize the motion of quantized vortices in helium superfluids. In this article, we present an overview of the method and highlight its impact in aiding our understanding of quantum turbulence, particularly superfluid helium. We present an analysis of the structure and arrangement of quantized vortices.

Three-dimensional inverse energy transfer induced by vortex reconnections.

In low-temperature superfluid helium, viscosity is zero and vorticity takes the form of discrete vortex filaments of fixed circulation and atomic thickness. We present numerical evidence of three-dimensional inverse energy transfer from small length scales to large length scales in superfluid turbulence generated by a flow of vortex rings. We argue that the effect arises from the anisotropy of the flow, which favors vortex reconnections of vortex loops of the same polarity, and that it has been indirectly observed in the laboratory.

Vortex-density fluctuations, energy spectra, and vortical regions in superfluid turbulence.

Measurements of the energy spectrum and of the vortex-density fluctuation spectrum in superfluid turbulence seem to contradict each other. Using a numerical model, we show that at each instance of time the total vortex line density can be decomposed into two parts: one formed by metastable bundles of coherent vortices, and one in which the vortices are randomly oriented. We show that the former is responsible for the observed Kolmogorov energy spectrum, and the latter for the spectrum of the vortex line density fluctuations.

Bayesian inference for a wave-front model of the neolithization of Europe.

We consider a wave-front model for the spread of neolithic culture across Europe, and use Bayesian inference techniques to provide estimates for the parameters within this model, as constrained by radiocarbon data from southern and western Europe. Our wave-front model allows for both an isotropic background spread (incorporating the effects of local geography) and a localized anisotropic spread associated with major waterways. We introduce an innovative numerical scheme to track the wave front, and use Gaussian process emulators to further increase the efficiency of our model, thereby making Markov chain Monte Carlo methods practical.

Quantum turbulent velocity statistics and quasiclassical limit.

Two research groups have measured turbulent velocity statistics in superfluid helium using different techniques. The results were in conflict: one experiment revealed Gaussian distributions (as observed in ordinary turbulence), the other experiment determined power laws. To solve the apparent puzzle, we numerically model quantum turbulence as a tangle of vortex filaments, and conclude that there is no contradiction between the two experiments.

Reconnecting flux-rope dynamo.

We develop a model of the fluctuation dynamo in which the magnetic field is confined to thin flux ropes advected by a multiscale model of turbulence. Magnetic dissipation occurs only via reconnection of the flux ropes. This model can be viewed as an implementation of the asymptotic limit R_{m}-->infinity for a continuous magnetic field, where magnetic dissipation is strongly localized to small regions of strong-field gradients.

Coexistence of Munchausen's syndrome and multiple personality disorder: detailed report of a case and theoretical discussion.

Patients with factitious disorders represent an important challenge to medical and psychiatric caregivers. The literature on Munchausen's syndrome abounds with entertaining descriptions of these flamboyant patients, but rarely is there significant understanding of the mechanisms of the disease. We present a case where Munchausen's syndrome coincided with multiple personality disorder (MPD).